Vertebral disc degeneration
The intervertebral disc is a cartilage that cushions the stress forces on the spine and enables the normal rotation of the spine. With advancing age, there is progressive loss of the proteoglycan material that gives the disc its properties, and a consequent increased risk of damage to the spine. This process, termed degenerative disc disease, affects 20-25 per cent of the population.

Therapies available for chronic low back pain associated with moderate degenerative disc disease are limited. They include pain management and physiotherapy. Surgical options such as spinal fusion are reserved for patients with severe degenerative disc disease (more than one million annually in the US alone).

Spinal fusion, in which bone marrow cells or bone chips and a bone growth-promoting agent are surgically implanted, is performed on less that 20 per cent of patients with severe degenerative disc disease, as it is a major surgical procedure often associated with serious complications including infection, permanent nerve damage, and recurrence or worsening of pain. Artificial vertebral discs are associated with the same complications as spinal fusion in addition to loss of mobility and device failure.

Since MPC produce the proteoglycan materials found in discs, Mesoblast envisages that the injection of MPC into a degenerated intervertebral disc will lead to replacement of the protoeglycan of cartilage. This approach, with its anticipated ease of application and lack of side-effects, should offer a relatively non-invasive and cost-effective therapy for patients with moderate or severe degenerative disc disease.

The Technology

• Overview
• Mesoblast Applications
  • Bone Repair
  • Cartilage Regeneration
  • Disc Regrowth
• Angioblast Applications
  • Heart Attack/Heart Failure
  • Peripheral Arterial Disease
  • Wound Ulcers
• Intellectual Property
• Glossary of Terms